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Pittosporaceae FAMILY

Pittosporum bicolor

Pittosporum bicolor

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

Although no mention has been found for this species, some members of this genus contain saponins. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans, and although they are fairly toxic to people they are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down if the food is thoroughly cooked for a long time. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[PFAF].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Pittosporum bicolor is not very hardy away from the mildest regions of the temperate zone, generally tolerating short periods with temperatures falling to around -5°c. Plants require winter protection at Kew Gardens London (zone 7 - 8) but grow well outdoors in the southern and western maritime counties of Britan, where some specimens have reached 10 metres tall[1, 2]. Succeeds in any well-drained soil[3, 2], including dry soils, preferably in a sunny position[3] but also succeeding in light shade[2]. The small flowers are highly fragrant[3]. They open over a long season, though they are mainly open in the spring[4]. Very amenable to pruning, plants can be cut right back into old wood if required[2]. Although flowers usually appear to be hermaphrodite, many species of Pittosporum are functionally dioecious, with individual specimens bearing mainly or totally flowers of one sex only. Even so, occasional functionally hermaphrodite flowers will appear and, in at least some species, these flowers can be self-compatible and produce fertile seed even in the absence of any other plants of that species[5]. This species hybridizes in the wild with Pittosporum undulatum[5]. The species in this genus are also very likely to hybridize with other members of the genus[2]. When growing a species from seed it is important to ensure that the seed either comes from a known wild source, or from isolated specimens in cultivation. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[2].

Propagation

Seed - sow when ripe in the autumn or in late winter in a warm greenhouse[6, 2]. The seed usually germinates freely. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, move the plants to a cold frame as soon as they are established and plant out late in the following spring[6]. Consider giving them some protection from the cold during their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 7cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Poor to fair percentage[6]. Basal ripewood cuttings late autumn in a cold frame[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Pittosporum+bicolor>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  4. [4]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  5. [5]Revision of Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae) in Australia — Cayzer L.W.; Crisp M.D. & Telford I.R.H. · 2000 ↩︎A comprehensive review of the genus in Australia
  6. [6]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  7. [7]The Australian and New Zealand Species of Pittosporum — Cooper R.C. · 1956 ↩︎Rather dated, but still an excellent treatment.
  8. [8]The Useful Native Plants of Australia. — Maiden J.H. · Turner & Co.; London. · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  9. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎